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Justice News

District Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison For Brandishing a Gun at a High School Gymnasium

Incident Took Place in Altercation at Basketball Game

WASHINGTON – Steve Gantt, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for an incident in which he brandished a handgun inside a high school gymnasium in Northwest Washington, Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. announced.

Gantt pled guilty in March 2010, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced by the Honorable Neal E. Kravitz. Upon completion of his prison term, Gantt will be placed on three years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, Gantt and two others entered the gym at Dunbar High School, in the 200 block of N Street NW, at about 8 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2015. Gantt was a lifeguard at the swimming pool at Dunbar, and entered the gym via the swimming pool area to attend a basketball game. Because he entered the school through the swimming pool doors, he did not have to pass through any metal detectors before entering the gym.

At some point during the basketball game, Gantt became involved in a physical altercation with another individual. Bystanders separated the two. However, after the two were separated, Gantt reached into his waistband and produced a handgun to frighten the individual with whom he had been fighting. When Gantt had the gun in his hand, several people inside of the gym began to run away and some could be heard saying, “He’s got a gun!”

Gantt ran from the gymnasium. During an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), he later was identified as the person with the gun. On Jan. 23, 2015, in a search of Gantt’s residence, MPD officers found a .9mm handgun and a shoe that had 28 rounds of ammunition tucked inside. Gantt was arrested on Feb. 4, 2015 and has been in custody ever since. At the time of the offense, Gantt was on supervised release for an earlier drug conviction.

In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs, of the Felony Major Crimes Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.